A Dream?
by Lab Angel
Summary: Rick wakes up in the hospital but the Zombie Apocalypse was nothing but a dream, Rick tries to readjust to a life that is different than what he had thought it to be. He confronts Lori about the affair between her and Shane, all the while Rick missing an important part of the life he had dreamed about. Or was it a dream? AU, OOC, the POV will change according to the scenario


Lab Angel: Okay so I haven't posted anything in like forever... My apologies to those that are fans of my other works, even the ones that aren't finished I will eventually get around to updating those. For those of you are reading this in hopes of a good Rick/Daryl fic I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Summary: Rick wakes up in the hospital but the Zombie Apocalypse was nothing but a dream, Rick tries to readjust to a life that is completely different from what he had thought it was. He confronts Lori about the affair between her and Shane, all the while Rick missing an important part of the life he had dreamed about. Or was it a dream? AU, lots of OOC, the POV will change according to the scenario of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead, I just borrow the characters when I see fit.

_Rick's thoughts._

_**Daryl's thoughts.**_

**Flashback to the TWD Universe** including my snippet in the beginning of the story.

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0-0-0-0 Third person 0-0-0-0

Carl lay beside his dad, the former Sheriff clutching to his hand, there had been more Walkers than Michonne had reported. Rick had gotten to a high place pulling Carl up with him, but not before he got bit, Carl had lay dying in his dad's arms. Daryl was yelling at Rick to get up and lend a hand in getting rid of the Walkers, Rick stood and pulled his gun from its holster, before going to help the archer.

"There are too many Daryl." Rick growled as he shot another one, he stopped and turned to Daryl grabbing the hunter's shoulder. He pulled the startled man into a hug and felt him nod against his chest, clinging to Rick's shirt in resignation. Daryl felt Rick pulling them back towards the edge of the platform, he looked up and Rick's lips met with his, one last kiss before they took the plunge. Feeling the teeth bite into them, they clung to each other, through the blood and thicker things that fell.

-0-0-0- Rick's POV -0-0-0-

I bolt up into a sitting position, trying to gather my bearings, I notice the beeping coming from next to me before I notice anything else, immediately I look around trying to find and silence the source of the noise before the sound drew anything. It took a moment longer to realize that the beeping was going as fast as my heartbeat and I looked around finally seeing that it as a heart monitor. The door banged open and I reached for a gun that wasn't beside me, the nurse that had come in stopped and looked at me before she had turned back into the hallway.

"Doctor!" She shouted, then turned towards me. "Mr. Grimes? Do you know where you are?" I stopped and thought about that for a moment, remembering where I had woken up after the shoot out all those years ago.

"The hospital?" I croaked, noticing how dry my throat was.

"That's right, let me get you some water." She said before hurrying out of the room. Looking out the window, from where I'm sitting I can't see the disaster that had become this town, was it all a dream? The nurse came back in with one of those little plastic cups and a pitcher, she handed me the cup and I drained it in one gulp, feeling as though I hadn't drunk anything in years. The doctor came in when I had drunk another half cup of water, he checked the monitors. He nodded in approval before turning to me and pulling a pen light out of his pocket, shining it into my eyes.

"Mr. Grimes do you remember what happened?" He asked, I had to stop and think about that because what I remember happening was Daryl and I being eaten by walkers.

"There was a shootout..." I say a little uncertainly, trying to think past the dream. _Did any of that really happen? Is Carl alive? What about Daryl? I paused, did any of it actually happen? It couldn't have because I'm still alive_. "I was shot? Where is my family?" I asked to be sure that they are alive.

"We've called your wife Mr. Grimes she's on her way, said she would be here after she picked up your son." The Nurse supplied when the doctor looked at her. _Lori was alive? Carl was alive!_ Shane walked in the door with a look of both disbelief and relief on his face. I knew what that look was for, because even before the shit hit the fan in that dream they were together.

"You are a sight for sore eyes brother." Shane sighed as he slumped into the chair sitting just inside the door. "You had the squad worried y'know that?" He laughed and shook his head, then the door opened again to show Lori and Carl, I felt the tears in my eyes looking at my son. I held up my arm for Carl to come to me, the boy hesitated for just a minute before he crawled up on the bed and curled into my side, the last time I had held Carl he was dying. I shook my head and hugged my boy tighter to me, before looking up at Lori and reaching out a hand that she took.

"Well Mr. Grimes I don't see why you shouldn't be out of here by tomorrow, your vitals are all green." The doctor smiled and nodded, before turning to the nurse. "If you will unhook Mr. Grimes from the monitor. Mr. Grimes if you are feeling up to it you can go with your family and partner down to the cafeteria." The doctor nodded and left.

"Okay Mr. Grimes let's get these needles and wire off you." The nurse smiled as she went about pulling the little sticky pads from his chest and the IV needle out of his hand. "Now give me just a moment and I'll go get a cane, work on you walking for a bit, you have after all been in here for a month."

0-0-0-0- Daryl's POV 0-0-0-0-

I laid in bed staring up at the ceiling of our cabin, being up in the mountain is exhilarating. A rush of wind blew in from the open window and I smiled, Merle had gone to town for supplies, I got up and shut the window hooking the latch before I grabbed my gun from where it leaned against the side table. Might as well go hunt, that's why I came up here after all. I left the cabin and ventured north away from the town, my mind wasn't on the tracking however, the dream I had woken up from this morning had been of a black woman coming up to me and saying that there were ten walkers. _**Was it walkers?**_ I had to stop and look around, I picked up signs of a deer heading along a trail, I started tracking putting the dream out of my head.

"Not like that damn dream had meant anything, just a damn dream." I mutter, then quiet down as I hear rustling in the fallen leaves ahead of. "You're all mine." I breathed the words, taking aim and firing, I missed when the buck moved. The sound of the shot startling the buck into taking off, I cussed and took off after it, not paying attention to my footing I slipped on a rock when I hit the ground everything went dark.

**"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here!" I yelled putting my bow down on the ground near the campfire. "Got us some squirrel! Let's stew'em up!"**

**"Daryl, just slow up a bit? I need to talk to ya." I hear Shane call after me.**

**"'Bout what?"**

**"'Bout Merle. There was a- there was a problem in Atlanta."**

**"He dead?" Fearing for a moment.**

**"We're not sure."**

**"He either is or he ain't!" I growl out at the officer.**

**"Look there's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it." A new guy stepped up.**

**"Who are you?" I ask.**

**"Rick Grimes."**

**"Rick Grimes, you got something you wanna tell me?" I growled out at the man.**

_**What the hell was that?**_ I stand up a little dizzy, likely a concussion. I turn my eyes to the ground to continue to track anything, a deer or a rabbit, something to get my mind off the wierd dreams that I've had lately. Because it wasn't just last night, or when I out cold out just now, it's been for the last month that I've had the dreams.

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Lab Angel: Okay so I'm gonna leave it there for now, let me know if you think I should continue this or just drop it. Any feedback is welcome, positive feedback let's me know I'm doing okay, negative feedback let's me know that I need to improve my writing. Thanks for reading this hopefully first part.


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